AVweb Special Projects Editor Dave Higdon recently installed a J.P. Instruments FS-450 fuel totalizer in his Comanche. Was it worth it?

Confidence At A Glance

Some Of The Basics…

At its basic level, the FS-450 delivers plenty of utility even without the groundspeed and distance data from a GPS. For one thing, the FS-450 constantly displays the current fuel-consumption rate on the top of two bright LED displays. So, checking fuel flow takes little more than a glance.

Kit contents, JPI’s FS-450 fuel totalizer.

In one of those glances, for example, the FS-450 told me how much fuel our Comanche has burned since engine start, what remained of the 60 gallons we started with, even how long it would last at our current power setting. Furthering my fuel-situation awareness, the FS-450 also showed the fuel needed to reach our next waypoint, what would be left at that waypoint, and, interestingly, the fuel efficiency of our bird. And in case you’re curious, at the moment we crossed the Mississippi River, the Comanche was getting 14.8 nmpg — nautical miles per gallon. For the record, the fuel flow varied slightly between 8.8 and 9.2 gallons per hour.

What a treat to spend less than a grand for this peace of mind.  Read the whole article here